Chatellerault

Chatellerault, a French town in the Vienne department, on the second bank of the Vienne, over which a stone bridge leads to the suburb of Chateauneuf. It stands in a fertile valley, and is 24 miles N. of Poitiers, and 80 miles S. of Tours. It is a principal seat of the French cutlery trade, and there is a Government sword and bayonet factory, and the town has a considerable trade. The title of Duke of Chatellerault is claimed by the Duke of Hamilton and the Duke of Abercorn, as descended by the female side from the original James Hamilton Earl of Arran, to whom it was granted in 1548. A decree of Napoleon III. confirmed the title to the former.